Friday, March 25, 2016

Before we post our recap of Wednesday's VM Radio Battle of the Bands (apologies for the delay, the K.I.C.K. video upload has been very problematic), let's tackle some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, our last concert previews for this weekend, and a new video from a finalist at said battle! Here's what you should know!

Montreal thrash metal quintet Reanimator will make their local concert debut when they rock The New American Pub on Sunday, April 24th! Sure to impress fans of old school thrash metal and it's new wave, Reanimator's brutal and fast paced originals have laid waste to many stages since their 2005 debut, so prepare yourself for April 24th if you've missed seeing a touring thrash metal band in the Soo! Reunited local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will open this show in their second announced concert of the year, and first outside of a battle of the bands, so if you haven't seen Robert, Jordan, and Bret's new originals, be at The New A early to take in Pillory's onslaught! A third local opening band is to be announced, we will let you know when that comes out. A presentation of Six, Two, Oh., this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solidly heavy show, so see above for more info, and stay tuned for update!

Next up, the winners of both last year & this year's VM Radio Battles of the Bands will unite for a special concert on Friday, April 29th at The Rockstar Bar, as local post-punk quartet Gnaeus and indie/acoustic rock quartet K.I.C.K. will join forces! Jokingly titled "Summer BASH!" despite taking place in the spring, this will be K.I.C.K.'s first announced concert since Wednesday's VM Radio Battle victory (more on that in our next post), and will mark Gnaeus' first concert of the year, plus the debut of their new lineup, as the band has parted ways with drummer Brendan Garlick. His departure is due to his move to Whitby for personal commitments in February, and while bassist Matt Fronzi confirmed to me that they have found a replacement, the band has yet to publically reveal his identity. Brendan is a solid drummer and a nice guy, and it'll be odd not seeing him behind the kit, but best of luck to him in the future, and we'll confirm their new drummer's identity when announced!

Note as well that the Facebook event page and event poster both credit John "DJ Fuels" Wardlaw as also performing on April 29th, but his set will actually be taking place downstairs at The Algonquin Pub concurrently with the bands upstairs, so if you prefer some turntable mixes, it's only a floor down! A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has a special admission fee of $10. This union of local battle of the bands winners will be a fun time for fans of these two friendly groups, who should compliment each other well next month, so see above for more details!

Also today, here's our last known concert preview for this weekend (barring anything on super late notice), as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are scheduled to rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their last advertised shows in St. Ignace, this union of Jager, Analog Deficiency, Power Slug, and Hair Trigger alumni should have a solid weekend of familiar covers in store for fans this weekend, so don't miss out if you want some hard rock action this weekend in the E.U.P.! Note that the band hasn't plugged any concerts in advance since early last month, but we have seen nothing to indicate that these shows are off, so don't read into anything unless stated otherwise. These shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Highway 63 live!

Finally for this post, here's the newest video from local alternative hard rock trio (and VM Radio & Speak Easy Battle runners-up) The Din! Posted to their Facebook page prior to Wednesday's final round of the VM Radio Battle, it's a short yet amusing video of a very "energetic" Mike Haggith and Brandan Glew prior to loading their gear for the event. Give it a look below, and stay tuned for our battle recap later today! Thanks everyone!